dealing with morning sickness. where she is headed now as fox 5 morning news starts right now. >> this is fox 5 morning news. >> there's your live look outside. it is thursday december 6th. and yes, it's beginning to feel a little more like christmas which will come in handy when tonight the president and the first family will flip the switch to light the christmas tree. this is the event's 90th year. you are looking at the sights now. good morning. i'm tony perkins. >> and i'm allison seymour. holly morris is out there and giving us a preview of the tree lighting throughout the broadcast. >> we want to find out what the forecast is. gwen is in for tucker barnes to tell us about that. >> it is going to be cold. make sure you dress warm no matter where you are going this

morning. mother nature is seriously bringing us back to a reality check. a few high clouds. high pressure in control today. we are talking mainly sunshine. skies expected to be bright. and here's a look at our current temperatures. 35 at reagan national airport. 26 at dulles and bwi at 30. yesterday we were into the 50s. no such luck this morning. don't have to deal with the winds we had yesterday. so no windchills. into the course of today, here's a look at your planner. much cooler conditions expected. midday about 42 degrees. but bright skies and cold. we have changes coming up for the weekend, i'll have those details later. back to you. >> all right. on the roads right now, what we're finding is the accident activity still in the clearing stages.

tractor trailer overturn losing a load of pineapple on the highway. has to be off loaded. and they are off loading this pineapple from the truck which overturned. sky fox is live over the scene and what you are going to find is the beltway remains closed. as you make your way over to the exit to go northbound on 270 or continue at the dealt way, that's what all this activity is and slowing your role. northbound on 270 stay to the right. again, using the icc, randolph road or 410 to work your way around this. this is going to be with us throughout the remainder of our morning drive. 395 off to a slow start this morning as well. big back ups leaving the beltway up towards sure ling ton. that's a

check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> at 2 minutes after the hour, we begin this morning with the latest on serious chemical weapons. unnamed u.s. officials. the serian army has loaded deadly gas into aerial bombs. >> and the army is waiting for orders from asad. serian forces have 60 days to use the chemical bombs before they expire and need to be destroyed. the united states has warned syria using them would cause greater eastern intervention. frj left five people dead and injured 600 others. the muslim brother hood which supports president morsi and protestors have demonstrated on different days and different

areas. they even fired shots at each other. this morning egyptian army tanks were deployed. the pro democracy protestors want morsi to cancel this month's vote. he's supposed to address the nation sometime today. >> the guess call cliff is less -- the fiscal cliff is less than a month away. >> house speaker john boehner and -- may be willing to take the plunge. doug luzader has more. >> the white house is drawing one line in the sand after another. republicans will give in as we approach the end of the year. >> we can solve this in about a week. it's not that tough. >> the president speaking to business leaders in washington. saying he is willing to make a deal. but his point man on

fiscal cliff negotiation struck a much different tone. if republicans don't but specifically tax rates on upper earners the white house is ready to go right over the cliff. >> we see there's no prospect to an agreement that doesn't involve those rates going up on the top 2%. >> largely backs the president on those rates. 48% support the plan to raise them on upper earners compared to 32% of leaving rates unchanged. when it comes to government spending, the gop has the edge. to help balance the budget, spending cuts should take precedence over tax hikes, 46 to 30%. and leaders in congress who met with business leaders say they have already offered to raise tax by cutting deductions and the president has yet to counter their proposal. >> i'll be here and available

at any moment to sit down with the president if he gets serious about solving this problem. >> it's possible the white house may be bluffing, the administration did order the pentagon to consider the big cuts in military spending that would happen if we don't reach an agreement. in washington, doug luzader, fox news. >> stocks closed mostly higher as wall street remains optimistic. but the economy will get a fresh update when the labor department released the november unemployment report. >> our big story here at home, police in fairfax county continue to investigate a disturbing find. >> a gun was found inside one of student's lockers. school officials ensure parents the kids were never at risk. melanie is live in fairfax county with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, tony and allison. students and staff

are starting to make their way in here to robinson secondary school a day after that disturbing find. the school says the community was never in danger, some parents are a little rattled about this. wish they knew more about what was going on. how many people were involved. they want to know what kind of gun it was and what was the reason it was brought to school. administrators say they were notified about the gun and they went and found it in the student's locker. they say there was an ammunition magazine in the weapon but no other details. and also didn't release the student's age, gender or grade level. could be a wide range there. a letter e-mailed to parents said they are quote taking the situation very seriously and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. students and staff were never in danger but recognize

the danger associated with any weapon in the school they will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of students. that is according to the principal, dan meier. the letter that was sent by the principal to the parents reto m. the suspects involved have been identified and questioned. we'd like to get more information and make that picture clearer here for parents and students. still waiting for more information from the school system and fairfax county police. >> all right. thank you very much. new this morning an update on the investigation in a possible campaign finance violations by vincent gray's 2010 campaign staff. the fbi is now looking into allegations

that gray's staff encouraged some supporters to donate. city law requires the disclosure of all campaign donations to the office of campaign finance. in the past the mayor has admitted his campaign had issues but denied any wrongdoing. also new this morning, a fight over a delegate seat is over. yesterday a judge said neither tiffany nor greg hall should serve. that means the governor is free to pick the vacant spot. austin previously held the seat. but she was officially ousted as a part of a plea deal. the democratic central committee picked hall to replace her. but the governor rejected because of hall 's past criminal record. >> the homeless than accused of pushing another man into the path of a new york subway train has been charged with second

degree murder. davis is being held without bail. pushed 58-year-old han into the subway tracks after an argument. the train hit and killed him. he has been in trouble with the law before. family members were holding funeral service for han today. software company founder john macafee. they took him into custody for allegedly -- in the fatal shooting of a neighbor. >> is the nation's capitol having an identity crisis? dc's nickname has been the chocolate city. but that's barely true in 2012. still ahead, a closer look at the new demographics taking over the nation's capitol. >> plus rgiii is canton bound.

why the quarterback could retire tomorrow and still have a spot in the hall of fame. >> but first, a milestone for recreational marijuana. they are legally lighting up in one state. you won't take my life.

you won't take our future. aids affects us all. even babies. chevron is working to stop mother-to-child transmission. our employees and their families are part of the fight. and we're winning. at chevron nigeria, we haven't had a reported case in 12 years. aids is strong. aids is strong.

but we are stronger. and aids... ♪ aids is going to lose. aids is going to lose. ♪ making headlines this morning, same sex marriage and recreational marijuana. as of today, both are legal in washington state. many same sex couples started lining up yesterday to get their marriage licenses. as for the marijuana law, adults can -- it is still

banned from public use just like drinking alcohol. >> there is encouraging news for breast cancer patients. taking the introduction tomoxafin can cut your chance of the disease recurring. the findings are a surprise. taking the hormone blocking drug for longer than five years could do more harm than good. >> the duchess of cambridge has left the hospital. she smiled as she left the hospital alongside her husband. she was treated for acute morning sickness. royal officials say kate is less than 12 weeks pregnant. they went to kensington palace. she's no longer kate? she does have a title. >> does that mean she doesn't

have a name any more? we'll find out. >> i'm so glad to see her out of the hospital. >> good sign. >> i have read reports what that is alike. and not pleasant. >> and scary for her in her first pregnancy. we have a cool start this morning. a lot cooler than yesterday. we started out with temperatures in the 70s and then yesterday, temperatures in the 60s. 63 at reagan national. 54 at bwi marhsall . today temperatures in the 40s. a little closer to where we should be. we will be below the seasonal average. here's a look at your current temperatures. we have 35 at reagan national airport. 30 at baltimore. and 30 degrees to the south at fredericksburg. the temperatures on the cool side. 20s on there as well. and the winds however are staying light. that's a good sign. we had

gusty winds yesterday. clouds not a lot to speak about. a few high clouds to the north and west. we have a ridge of high pressure building in. that's going to set us up for sunshine during the course of the day. the winds will be calm. those gusty winds yesterday really were very brisk. but however, this is a big difference today. jet stream well to the north of us allowing cooler air to settle in. temperatures below seasonal and head into the day, we are going to end up seeing a day where we have 46 degrees for a high. sunny skies chilly with light winds. areas to the west over the mountains could see moisture sneaking in. maybe a little freezing rain there. >> any pretty snow? >> no. we're not talking the s word today. >> okay. thanks. >> let's get the latest on this morning's traffic. here's julie wright with that. >> grabbed my heart there for a second. >> she doesn't want to hear that.

>> i said a pretty snow. >> it's only pretty when we don't have to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and don't be on the air. you can see clearly this tractor trailer overturned now blocking the right lane. it was full of pineapple. crews are busy off loading the pineapple. there was another tractor trailer at the scene. as our rush hour continues on, that right lane remains closed and extensive back up well before 95 college park over to the 270 exit. you'll find with our maps, the top stretch of the beltway, 120 minute commute. expect delays on 95 and 295 headed out towards that capitol beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> thank you much. he is just a rookie but robert griffin iii is already a hall of famer.

kind of. officials from the canton museum collected his jersey and cleats after the red skin's win monday night. that's the night griffin set the single season records for yards rushing by a quarterback. but to be fair that does not officially make him a member of the hall of fame. >> he's part of the hall of fame. >> kobe joined an elite group of stars last night. hit a running jumper to surpass 30,000 points in his career. he is also the youngest to reach that mark. >> texans wide receiver andre johnson shows off christmas spirit. surprised 12 houston kids with a holiday shopping spree. gave them one minute to

run around the store and pick anything they wanted. the total tab, $19,000. these kids know how to shop. he stopped by houston and handed each kid $100 gift certificate. >> very cool. >> it is now 720 on this thursday morning. coming up next, the changing face of the nation's capitol. and 90 years of the national christmas tree lighting. a look at how the tradition has changed with each administration. and what's planned for tonight. it's 7:20. 

the agency is expected to comment today on the drop in the number of metro riders. the washington examiner reports the lower than expected numbers have resulted in a loss of revenue of $5 million for the first quarter. translates to about a

2% drop. metro only estimated a 1% drop. a reduced federal transit benefit from employers. dc's demographics they are changing. >> that's right. the city is becoming younger, whiter and richer. according to the washington examiner, 34% are now white. that's up from 28% in 1999. the black population dropped from 60% to 51% over the same period. about 30% of residents are within the ages of 20 and 34 which is up from less than 27%. median household income has climbed 14% to $62,000 a year. the percentage of white residents has dropped. while asian, black and hispanic are on the rise. >> a precious sight is set to go

on display today at the smithsonian museum of natural history. the world's largest cut will now be available for the public's viewing. it was mined in brazil during the 1980s and names for the country's first two emperors. >> what it's like inside the homes of congress in the middle of a bitter battle. two former congressman for a closer look at the fiscal cliff negotiations. >> i thought it was a review of the movie lincoln. first from kanye to the black keys. take a look at the frontrunners after last night's grammy nominations. >> here's a live look outside. the latest weather and traffic from gwen and julie coming up next. it's 7:25. we'll be right back . .  [ singing christmas carols in background ]

aunt sally's singing again. it's a tradition, honey. [ singing christmas carols ] mmmm. [ female announcer ] make new traditions with pillsbury grands! cinnamon rolls. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun.

the nominations for the 2013 grammy awards are in. 6 different artists are tied with 6 nominations. kanye west, jay z, frank ocean, dan of the black keys by himself. mumford and

sons and the pop band fun. others include call me maybe which is up for song of the year. >> the music world is mourning the loss of jazz musician dave bruback. he was regarded as one of the greatest american jazz artists. he helped define the swinging smoky rhythms of the 1950s and 60s jazz scene. he was even designated a living legend by the u.s. library of congress. three years later he was the first modern jazz musician to be on the cover of time magazine. his hit you are hearing i believe take five became the first jazz record to sell a million copies and never gone out of print since 1959. he died of heart failure wednesday, one day shy of his 92nd birthday. >> the influences in jazz do not get much better than that.

one of the giants of jazz music. and really experimented with jazz a number of different ways. >> smoky. that's a perfect title. >> i like that. well gwen is here to tell us what's going on with our weather. much chillier today. >> we had temperatures above 20 degrees. now we're below by 20 degrees. bundle up if you are heading out. don't say i didn't warn you. if you are doing anything out there, do not be deceived by the sunshine. we have lots of sun today but it's going to be cold and already chilly as we start out this morning. below average temperatures for our daytime highs. the weekend is going to warmup. that's good news. we have spotty shower s possible by the time we head through into sunday. here's a look at the highs yesterday. 63 at reagan national airport. 61 at dulles

and 64 at bwi. as i mentioned, temperatures 15 or so above the seasonal average. 27 at gaithersburg. 21 at frederick. 35 at dc. 30 at baltimore. 26 at bull he is dulles. and up the midatlantic, still cool. 30 for boston and new york city. the cooler conditions are sticking around into the course of today. a few high clouds to the north and west. that ridge of high pressure will hold us stead towards the afternoon. tonight, clear skies and much colder as well. we're going to see some really cool conditions in here. temperatures are going to be into the 30s everywhere. bundle up once again. 46 degrees and for today a light wind and for tonight, 36 for your overnight low. partly cloudy skies. here's a look at your 7 day forecast. the skies will start to cloud over on friday.

a frontal system approaching. saturday mostly cloudy skies. and sunday, wet weather sticking around into monday. see how commuters are doing. >> bumper to bumper delays all the way over to the tractor trailer. second trailer on the scene to help retrieve the pineapple. the right lane remains closed around 495 headed past the exit. big tie ups around the capitol beltway around 495. the icc is an option. that could save you time. randolph road also alternate and 410 the east west highway. put it in perspective for you traveling out here on the roads. about an hour and 44 minute commute from college park to 270. slow traffic on 95 and 295. let's continue with the

cameras. we'll show you what else is out here. delays northbound on 395 leaving the beltway. and southbound oken he will worth avenue. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> thank you very much. the fiscal cliff gets closer and closer. so what's it like to grapple with fiscal issues inside congress? both of our next guests served on the budget committee. joining us now is marty russo of illinois. he served on the house ways and means budget committees and robert walker of pennsylvania now executive chairman. good to have both of you gentleman here. we've hit this theme before. before i get into the details, i want to stress again, you guys, you come from opposing points of view. but you were able as were many

back in the day able to work together, find places where you could compromise. why does that seem to be so difficult now? >> well, in our days, it wasn't the majority of a majority. it wasn't like parliament system. we'd pick up republicans to pass. in those days bob michael was a heck of a minority leader. they would battle on the house floor. but in the end, it was what's in the best interest of the country. that's the same thing they did with president regan. it's what's in the best interest of the country ree. the ideas all about politics. who gets the upper hand. that's one reason why we can't solve these problems. when you look at congress, they put all these mechanisms in. we can't possibly want to do that. this would be horrible. >> i think you have to ignore

the fact too that this is not unusual. we went through the period of time until you get up to the point you can make a deal with all of this kind of haggling going on. the fact is there are only a handful of people in congress that are going to be a party to the deal. a lot of the rest of the people who are about this aren't part of the deal making. when the president and the speaker are talking as they did last night, that's a hopeful sign. whether or not they arrived at conclusions, nobody knows at the present time. the real deal making is taking place aside from a lot of the people who are making some statements. >> let's look at what the fiscal cliff really is. the fiscal cliff is almost $8 trillion of spending cuts, revenue increases. which if you want to affect the debt, that's a big way of doing it.

every economist says if you do that much that quickly, you are going to throw us back into a serious recession. you know what? at some point, we have to stop kicking the can down the road and actually thinking of long-term debt of this country. i'm never a big fan of senator cobern's positions but he's right. at some point we have to stop this. we need to do it quickly. >> and the fact is, we've got a huge spending problem. and so either you have to figure out a way to pay for what you say you want to do or reduce the spending and that's the piece that's not getting the attention it should right now. >> getting the attention from? >> either the media in some cases. they are talking about what we have to do on taxes. somewhere along the line we have to talk about what we have to do on spending. if you do as the

president asks and that is raise taxes on the top 2%, it funds the government for 8 days. you can't get there with just that. they are saying part of an overall deal. that's to include substantial spending cuts and particularly reforms and entitlements that is sure we can keep those programs alive in the years ahead. >> i want to ask both of you about tim gietner. is the white house ready to go over the fiscal cliff? and he said absolutely. is that digging in or a scare tactic? i was surprised to hear him say that. >> one of the biggest criticisms of president obama and the administration has been they tend to negotiate against themselves. i'm at this position and a week later i'm at this position. what he's trying to do is show their hardening their stance but in the end they

will make a deal. it's hard to raise $1.6 trillion in revenues. most of the deals we've seen that were working were two and a half to one spending cuts. and all you are hearing about is revenues. >> the republicans on the hill really believe that the president is prepared to go over the cliff and blame them. they believe this is a political exercise. and so they believe that's what's happening. gietner hardened their position. >> we have about a minute left. want to shift focus to syria. there's word that they are preparing chemical weapons i mean loading some of these chemical weapons into bombs and into planes. what are your concerns about this? there are the obvious concerns. but this puts the u.s. in a difficult position with how you deal with this if president asad goes forward with this. >> president obama has a huge problem on his hands right now

in this regard. we're dealing with a monster in syria. probably the only country that has any sway whatsoever is russia. seems to me president obama needs to be on the phone and make certain the russians are taking the right. >> apparently hillary clinton is talking. >> that's the only route that is going to stop this from happening. if left to his own devices, he will use those. >> and what about the countries that boarder. turkey. this stuff doesn't just stop. it gets into the atmosphere. you can't bomb the place. you have to send in ground troops. and now what happens ? the best thing that could happen is puten makes a phone call and says cut this stuff out. the middle east has gotten to be a very serious problem for everybody. >> maybe we will focus more on that next time around.

the fiscal cliff keeps going and going. thank you both for coming in. good to talk to you again. allison, back to you. >> tony, thank you. still ahead at 7:00 , the sense of a woman now available in deep dish. as we go to break, holiday greetings from our service members overseas. >> good morning. this is williams your daughter. this message is for you. i wish you guys a happy holiday and hope you enjoy the christmas, thanksgiving and new year. i won't be able to be home but have a great time without me. just have so much fun. save some for me. i extend my love and grace to the rest of the family. love you. 

you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself.

we hope you will join us

tomorrow for stuff a truck 2012. the day when we partner up with the food bank to collect needed food items. you can come out to the following locations. brentwood which is where wisdom will be tomorrow morning. montros crossing, green briar. there are also 12 other drop off sites. you can find those at our web site at myfoxdc.com. we want to make it easier for everyone to contribute. >> holly is in montrose. i do believe she'll be there. >> someone will confirm that with us shortly. >> a chilly day today, folks. >> yes. what about tomorrow morning? >> a folks. >> there were a couple years that it was okay. >> yeah it will be cold out there. cool conditions settling in. prepare yourselves. dress appropriately. layer s always

work. 35 at reagan national airport. 26 at dulles and 30 at bwi marhsall. skies not too bad. a few clouds to the north and to the west of us. ridge of high pressure in control. we are going to have more sunshine dominating weather patterns. highs will be into the 40s. a couple 50s here and there. that ridge of high pressure will hold for plenty of bright skies and the sun sticking around all day long. 43 degrees. tonight's lows into the 30s. make sure you dress warm if you are heading anywhere. i'll have more details later on for everybody. >> we look forward to it. kind a. >> let's go to julie wright over there with a look at what's happening with traffic. >> it's hard to run in these heels. >> we see just how busy you are. you are doing the radio thing and run in here.

>> hardest working woman in traffic. >> thank you. i owe you now. all right. on the top stretch of the felt way, the crash occurred around 2:00 a.m. this morning. still there blocking the right lane. delays from college park to 270 about an hour and 45 minute delay. which means southbound 95 and 295 also congested out of greenbelt trying to merge on to the outer loop of the beltway. you will find delays on randolph road. and even 410 the east west highway. south of the beltway. inner loop delays people hitting me up on twitter. this is heavy volume over towards route 1 where all lanes are open. show you what else is happening out here on the highways. northbound 395 headed northbound towards the 14th street bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> ladies do you want men to dr

druel all over you? the fast-food chain has launched own scent. the marketing team smelled a winner but if this sounds like the scent for you, you might have to wait for it. limited quantities will only be available north of the boarder. >> they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. >> that is. do you really think that could work? >> it could. >> would you like me to smell like that all day? >> if it were subtle. >> i dated a guy once who worked at a restaurant. it was -- >> i know. okay. it's 7:47. i don't know why i'm fighting

this battle. coming up next, not quite the ghost of christmas past. but a history lesson of the national tree lighting. >> holly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. i want to say they've been lighting the national christmas tree for the past 90 years and for the past 90 years i have been at the montrose crossing. you are right. i will be there tomorrow. but today i am down on the ellipse. gearing up for the national christmas tree. we are getting a history lesson of christmas tree past and also we're going to find out more about what's supposed to happen tonight. all live next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us.    >> fox 5 news is brought to you by [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

of green giant vegetables it's easy to eat like a giant... ♪ and feel like a green giant. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant you won't take our future. aids affects us all. even babies. chevron is working to stop mother-to-child transmission. our employees and their families are part of the fight. and we're winning. at chevron nigeria, we haven't had a reported case in 12 years. aids is strong. aids is strong. but we are stronger. and aids... ♪ aids is going to lose. aids is going to lose. ♪ so, the 5.3-liter v-8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer power? [ laughing ] [ stops laughing ]

[ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. this holiday season, trade up to get the 2012 chevy silverado all-star edition for 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $2,000 cash allowance or get a total value of $9,000. [ female announcer ] at yoplait, we want you to feel even better about your favorite flavors. so when you call, tweet, and post, we listen. that's why yoplait light and yoplait original are now made with no high fructose corn syrup.

and why we use only natural colors and natural flavors in yoplait original. so, anything else we can do for you, let us know. but you'll keep it to yogurt, right? 'cause we shouldn't really help with your love life. yoplait. it is so good! time for our facebook fan of the day. today we say hello to molly carter. she has been a

fan for 17 years. she's been a fox 5 morning news fan. can i say that or fox 5? she says she is looking forward to 17 more. >> yeah. >> so are we. for your chance to be tomorrow's fan of the day, leave a comment under the ever so pretty molly's picture. >> i love the picture. >> very happy. >> it's been a tradition for 90 years and tonight we'll be watching the national christmas tree lighting. >> but how did it get started and how has it changed? so many questions to ponder. holly morris has more. it was a real lol moment when you said you had been going there for 90 years. >> reporter: okay. so it hasn't been 90. stuff a truck is great. great time tomorrow. i missed it last year because hayden was born the day before. so i'm looking forward to being

back and love meeting everyone. it's such a charitable giving thing. we are totally in the spirit of the season down here. they are going to flip the switch, the president and the first family. it is a wonderful tradition that started sometime ago and we are going to get a history lesson from the ceo of the national park foundation. mary christmas. >> good morning. >> i know you twunlt wear my hat. i told him i wear it one day a year for the national christmas tree lighting. it works here. thank you. this is special to us. and we did want to talk about as we stand here beneath the tree for this year how it all got started way back when in 1923. >> started as a community event 90 years ago with president coolage. and here we are 90

years later and lighting trees this morning as well. >> we have a picture of that first tree. because 90 years later, the lights and theme is supposed to be reminiscent of that first one. >> it is. what shows what's happened, we've been down here through times of peace and war. why the tree looks the same, this year is the most energy efficient tree. the theme remains the same but the technology improves things. encourage viewers to come down and see not only the national tree but the state and territorial trees. >> let's talk about a couple others. we have a picture of the 1978 tree. the 1978 tree served our country well. it was here for 32 years. that's the other thing is this is a live living tree. it's planted here, it grows here. and the 78 tree was here for 32. the tree behind us

is from the state of virginia and great future down here too. >> and we also have a picture of the 83 tree. >> 83 tree was just our 78 tree five years later. what we do is change the theme and how the tree is decorated each year. ge has been lighting the tree for 50 years. they'll change the theme of the tree. but again, it's a living tree. >> it says a lot that the presidents are very busy and obviously president obama is very busy right now. a lot going on in his world but the presidents always make time to come light the tree. >> it's part of history. and it's point in time that brings our whole country together. it's a community event. and it's a worldwide event. it will be televised to all the armed

forced around the world. it's a big community event. and it's our present. it's the president's present to america. >> i don't want to say fox 5 morning news has pull. but i think right now viewers are getting a sneak peak of the tree lit. see the kind of things you see. you are not going to get it anywhere else. thank you very much. myfoxdc.com is our web site. we have a link to the national park service foundation, the national park service and going to be streamed on that web site so you can watch the entire ceremony. and we'll have the lighting live as well. in our next hour, rehearsals start at 8. forget the lights, we're going to see what stars are going to be shining as they rehearse in just a few minutes. >> i love that part.

thank you so much. >> very cool. >> a little inside. >> there is once again a reason why you should be careful about what you post on the internet when it comes to product reviews and customer service critiques. >> an update on a local woman who was sued over what she wrote on yelp. that web site where you can write your reviews. it's not as clear-cut as freedom of speech. >> milestone for same sex couples in maryland. details straight ahead. 7:57. we'll be right back. ♪

i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! my bowl, my spoons! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios has whole grain and 110 delicious calories. ...more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios in multi-grain cheerios peanut butter.

this is fox 5 morning news. >> serious concerns this morning from parents and staff at a local school after a gun was found in a locker. more on who made that discovery and where. >> a milestone for same sex marriage in maryland today. couples can take an official step on paper. >> and forget bad fruit cake. this time of year it could be your credit card that's making

you sick. the fox medical team is helping you stay healthy while you holiday shop. good morning. i'm tony perkins. >> i'm allison seymour. and the count down to christmas is on. in just about 8 hours, the first family will flip the switch for the 90th annual lighting for the national christmas tree. bundle up. it's cold out there . >> today the coldest day of the work week. gwen is here to tell us about that. >> would have been really mild and comfortable. not so much today or tonight. we're starting out cold this morning. let's take a look at some of the numbers with a look at our maps. here's a look at the current temperatures. 36 at reagan national airport. 30 at dulles and 33 at bwi marhsall. here's a look at clouds moving in from the north and west.

high pressure in control but the sun dominating the skies. so should be nice into the course of the afternoon. very light winds as well. don't have gusty winds to speak about. and our high today will be 46 degrees with light winds pushing in from the northeast and southeast. we have a few changes coming our change. we're below seasonal today versus being above seasonal the last couple days. should be close to the 50 degree mark. make sure you dress warm. layers are what really works. bundle up. >> thank you, much. >> now, let's check in with julie for a look at our on time traffic. >> on time traffic, brought to you by >> big story this morning has been the pineapple on the outer loop of the beltway. right lane is still closed and at this hour, t outer loop commute

over hour and a half commute westbound. hour and 40 minute drive west over towards 270 leaving the college park area. southbound 95 is gridlocked trying to merge. randolph road taking a beating. even picking up 410 the east west highway. accident southbound 5 is tying up the two right lanes. notice all of this red. heavy volume on the inner loop all the way over to route 1. quick peak at our cameras. tough ride on 395 northbound leaving the beltway. eastbound 66 delays before you make your way past route 50 and slow traffic at the beltway and here's that live shot at the pentagon. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> we have a news alert on the crisis in syria. the serian army is reportedly ready to load

deadly gas into bombs that could be dropped on civilians. >> and there's word the pentagon is telling the white house might need 75,000 troops to secure stockpiles. secretary of state hillary clinton is meeting with russia's foreign minister. >> to egypt we go now in the worst violence there in 6 months. five people were killed and 600 hurt as opponents of mohammed morsi fight each other. it started and both sides started throwing rocks and sticks. this morning, the situation is reportedly quiet. but political term oil is expected to continue with the government saying the

constitutional. >> president obama spoke on the phone last night with the speaker of the house. neither the white house nor the office of john boehner is talking about that conversation. and officials say there's no immediate plan. tax hikes and deep spending cuts are set to kick in on the 1st of january. with 26 days left, the white house is telling federal agencies and the pentagon to get ready for massive cuts if they can't find an agreement. >> other big story this morning, a gun is found inside a student's locker in a fairfax county school. >> school officials say there was never any danger to the students or staff. melanie is live this morning with more. >> reporter: well, tony, students are settling in to their classes and continuing to monitor the situation to ensure

the safety of staff and students. still neither they nor police have publically said what led to the student bringing the weapon to school. administrators were the ones who found the gun. investigators say there was an ammunition magazine in the weapon but didn't lead details about what led officials to that locker or age, gender or grade level. this is middle and high school combined. could be a wide range there. a letter e-mailed to parents say they are quote taking this situation seriously and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. also refers to more than one student involved saying quote the suspects have been identified and questioned. parents were notified using that e-mail alert system but doesn't sound like many students were told until they got home. they feel like

the school did take appropriate action. >> actually, i was very relieved they dealt with it as well as they did. caught quickly and the situation was dealt with and the kids were kept safe. i think it's a pretty safe school. >> the principal also says there will be severe consequences for this infraction. also thanked the school's resource officer that's here at the school courtesy of fairfax county police and encouraged parents to sit down and talk with the students about what they should do in case a situation like this does happen. back to you guys. >> melanie, thank you. >> new this morning, the fight over a prince georges county delegate seat is over. yesterday a judge said neither tiffany nor greg hall will serve. austin previously held the seat but as the judge ruled yesterday she was officially ousted as part of a plea deal.

the democrat central committee picked hall to replace her but the governor rejected because of hall's past criminal record. >> also new this morning a milestone for gay marriage in the state of maryland. same sex couples can get marriage licenses in the state. but they won't go into affect until january 1st. the governor will sign a proclamation. the attorney general says not all court clerks will begin to issue the licenses but they will be available in montgomery county and baltimore city. >> monitoring metro now. today the agency will get an update on research into worker fatigue. specifically bus driver fatigue. this comes concerns some drivers were working long shifts. officials say they are working on changes for rail and bus

operators that emphasize reasonable hours and training and employee awareness. >> still ahead at 8:00 now, heading home after several days of the hospital. the duchess of cambridge leaves the hospital. >> we'll take a closer look at a judge's ruling involving the web site yelp. something anyone who posts a review or critique online should hear. it's 8:09. we'll be right back .  [ singing christmas carols in background ]

aunt sally's singing again. it's a tradition, honey. [ singing christmas carols ] mmmm. [ female announcer ] make new traditions with pillsbury grands! cinnamon rolls. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center

toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. welcome back, everybody. time for something a little special from the weather department. >> yes, it is. here's gwen and she's going to make us smile. >> serving it up for something special. it's time now for my first 5 photo of the day. look at this cutie. >> how cute is that? oh, beyond cute. >> would we not like to grab those cheeks and squeeze them.

he's so cute. and it's a birthday. happy birthday to mariana perry. she turns one year old today. >> that is the sweetest little face. >> very smart to have that hat other. it's cold out there today. go to myfoxdc.com and click on mornings. we'd love to see your little one's photograph. >> she makes me so happy. >> really cute. >> priceless. absolutely priceless. we're happy to celebrate her birthday for her today. here we are talking about how cold it's going to be to yesterday's highs well above seasonal. we hit 63 at reagan national airport yesterday for a high. 61 at dulles and 64 at bwi. nowhere close to that today. winds calm and very calm now. not a whole lot going on. 13 mile per hour sustained winds. a few high clouds to the

north and west. primarily a day filled with sunshine. the skies will be bright. don't be fooled by the sunshine. it is going to be chilly. into tonight, clear skies and much cooler than it has been. a ridge of high pressure that's in control. that's going to hold us stead. overnight lows into the 30s everywhere. a lot cooler areas to the west. but we are still talking a chilly night. make sure you dress warm if you are going out tonight as i always say layers are the way to go. by mid say today, we will be about 42 degrees. a pretty chilly start and things are going to be on the bright side for today. we're going to see changes into the weekend. daytime high, 46, sunny skies with light winds. we have changes for the weekend not only with the temperature but your

conditions. mother nature keeps changing her mind. we'll be ready for it. details for you a little later on. let's check in with traffic. >> all right. on the road this morning, the big story is the tractor trailer leaving the right lane closed as you approach the exit for 270. and that tractor trailer still in play. hour and 40 minute commute headed over towards 270. southbound 95 tied up headed out towards the beltway. bw parkway accident activity has the roadway blocked off. the crash sits in the two right lanes. and now on the inner loop. delays headed also the wilson bridge, almost a half an hour ride. delays traveling out of maryland. we'll show you what's happening on that traffic side eastbound on 66. delays out of manassas to fair oaks.

the dulles toll roads backed up lanes are open on 395 headed out towards the 14th street bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> thank you. a woman has been ordered by a judge to remove parts of online critiques she wrote on two consumer web sites. came after a local contractor sued the woman over the negative comments on yelp.com and angie's list. cases like this seem to be a growing trend. and joining us is attorney who specializes in defamation cases. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> 20 years ago you might not specialize in this because we didn't have to deal with things like this. but now it's a whole new world. i want to start with this case. are you surprised by the ruling? >> the ruling came out the judge required a small portion of the reviews to be removed.

i'm not terribly surprised. looks like certain portions were a little extreme to put it politely. but at the end of the day nothing has changed as to whether or not this particular reviewer will be liable. an injunction is an early portion of a lawsuit. it's an early win for the contractor, doesn't mean he's a guaranteed winner at the end of the day. >> the internet now, it's become this forum to share opinions, points of view or what have you. what rights does the consumer in this case have to post what they think is truthful? let's start with that. >> sure. one thing that's great about living in the united states is the first amendment, the right to free speech gives you a lot of protections. there are limits to those protections. the limits have been things such as your profession.

if you have sexual inuendo, those are the types of things that have gone too far. and to this day whether it was back 100 years ago or now on the internet, nothing has really changed on those issues. so those are the issues you need to stay away from. stick to opinions or facts. when it comes to things like theft, profession, diseases, steer clear. >> does the business have rights or the cost of doing business that someone might not be happy and post that or what have you? the forms are made for that. angie's list that basically is a clearinghouse for is this company okay and this one is not. and yelp too, the whole thing is reviews. >> one thing i have happened to

me almost everyday is businesses calling me up and saying i have a problem with a reviewer, what can i do? the harsh reality is these days you are going to have to fight in the open market of free speech. if someone gives you a negative review, you need to say listen, i respect that review but this is why i think what i did is correct. you need to use your own free speech to your advantage. defamation lawsuits are also an opportunity for you but you want to be careful about pursuing those unless the comments are relatively extreme. recently you've seen most judges in every court in the nation are less likely to take defamation cases seriously for minor issues because you have so many more outlets to get that free speech out there. twitter, the internet, blogs. >> we've had truth in travel agencies or what have you. their whole thing is this

company is basically misrepresenting itself. they have these pictures, this is not how this hotel really looks. so for the consumer, how much should we take and what should we throw out when we read some of these reviews? >> sure. the best thing to do as a consumer, just as it was 100 years ago, buyer be ware. be careful about what you seen. go to another web site. see if they agree. it sounds simple but that's something you should do. at the end of the day when you have a situation where something isn't necessarily the way that it was portrayed on a particular web site, the chances of recovering for those types of concerns, your hotel room wasn't nice. go through the entire process, it's simply not going to be worth it most of the time. >> laws changing to reflect our

world today? are the defamation laws changing to cover that? >> surprisingly the laws have not really changed terribly. what has changed is the way people are expressing their speech. 1 ago the laws were more or less the same as they are today but it's a brave new world. >> well said. this is erik me menhart. come back and see us. >> very interesting. thank you both. it is 8:21 now. coming up next, saying good-bye to a jazz legend. and later, it's a sure sign the holidays have arrived in washington. holly is live with a preview with all the fun at this year's christmas tree lighting. we'll be right back. back. [ singing christmas carols in background ]

aunt sally's singing again. it's a tradition, honey. [ singing christmas carols ] mmmm. [ female announcer ] make new traditions with pillsbury grands! cinnamon rolls. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun.

this morning, we are remembering music legend dave brubeck who passed away yesterday. >> helped bring jazz to the masses. it came from the classic 1959 album timeout.

>> that was the first jazz album to sell $1 million copies. back in the day seemed like everybody had that album. toured in countries in the middle east. lifetime achievement grammy in 1996 and named a kennedy center honor ee in 2009. in 2010, he was the commencement speaker where he was given an honorary degree. he would have turned 92 today. >> you know, it might be a little fitting. he'll be memorialized more his 92nd birthday that the news is everywhere now. >> he was a giant in jazz. another one of his songs blue rondo. my mom used to play this music. >> brings back wonderful memories. >> still ahead, protecting yourself while holiday shopping.

we're not talking about scams. >> no. >> i wish we were. we're talking about nasty germs you can pick up from your credit cards and cash. we're going to check in with the fox medical team. >> a busy day for marriage license office. as same sex couples wait in line to be a part of history. tell you about that. right now 8:26.



making headlines this morning. a hearing resumes in one hour at fort meed. today the focus is on the marine corp commander. bradley manning claimed he was illegally held under conditions that were so harsh his case should be dismissed. the military argues

the conditions were needed from keeping him from killing himself. >> same sex marriage and recreational marijuana legal in the state. there is a three day waiting period. so the first weddings can't be held until sunday. adults can possess up to one ounce of marijuana. but banned from public use. >> in london, catherine duchess of cambridge left the hospital. prince william visited her everyday after she was admitted on monday afternoon. some have speculated that kate may be carrying twins. the duke and duchess are at the palace forest. >> can i say something? having been pregnant. those roses. all i could think about is the smell. i wonder if it irritated her. >> really? >> anything can set it off.

that's all i thought about. wonderful prints. >> and you are think you are doing the right thing. >> i don't think she would have been able to fake it for that long. >> hopefully she'll be okay. >> fingers crossed for her. >> can you imagine? i still remember. who doesn't remember seeing diana? >> exactly. i remember that. okay. >> we're getting older. >> we are. colder weather bothers us more. >> yes, it does. >> i feel great. >> he feels great. all right then. we have a chilly start to your day today and tony is good at faking it. much older than all of us. the cold really gets him. ridge of high pressure building in today. plenty of sunshine for you. a few clouds showing on our satellite radar. the sky will definitely be right and it is

going to be cold ore today. here's a look at your current temperatures. 30 at dulles this hour. 38 at annapolis. 28 at manassas. 25 at culpeper. and 26 here in the nation's capitol at 23 in frederick. things have calmed down quite a bit. we have pretty calm winds. 13 mile per hour sustained winds in dc. ridge of high pressure in control pretty much on the chilly side. we're going to see our temperatures below the seasonal average versus above in the 70s and 60s. keeping an eye on a frontal system, could see a few showers by the time sunday rolls around and tonight into tomorrow over the highlands and parts of west virginia, could see freezing rain. going to watch that closely. 46 degrees for today, sunny skies and

chilly. tonight, 36 degrees. a little cooler to the west. your accu weather 7 day forecast. saturday mostly cloudy but sunday chance of showers in the forecast that could linger through but the good news is, take a look at the temperature rise. the low 60s by the time saturday rolls around. >> all right. thank you very much. >> go in any mall and you'll hear that familiar holiday sound. it's the sound of cash registers ringing up purchase after purchase. before you hand over your credit card, the fox medical team has holiday shopping advice that may help protect you against getting something you didn't bargain for. this story can be rather gross. good morning to you. >> reporter: it is gross. you are right. it's gross. i don't see you tracing through the mall with all the packages. are you doing that? >> no, i'm not. i need to. but i'm not. >> right.

so far i haven't found one man that says i do the shopping. let's talk about the germs. which is healthier for you guys. you are avoiding germs. we're talking about the cash. the problem with money and mom told us how dirty money is. the problem is it's porous. bacteria gets in there and it survives. let me tell you about the research. looked at about 300 people and did some swabbing and found that bacteria and we're talking about fecal bacteria founds on the hands of 11% of people, 8% of the cards and 6% of the bills. the problem is tony as we shop and during this season, we're handing this stuff back and forth and putting it in our purse and getting a snack and getting on the escalator. all these germs keep moving around. that's the big issue.

you have to at least be aware of when you are going out. one of the most important things is you do not touch your face, your mouth, your nose or your eyes with your hands. >> with the credit cards, are you supposed to clean them off or something? >> well, i'm glad you asked that. yes. i've never done this. you take an anti bacterial wipe we all have now. and you just do a little swab like that before you go shopping. so that's good. especially because these cards are going into purse and your personal stuff is in there. you schwab these off. you have your hand sanitizer tony in case you can't get to a sink. but the issue is this time of year there's hot spots for germs. >> and i know the best advice

is wash your hands as often as you can. thank you very much. gave us something to think about. >> all right. >> great. thank you. see you again soon. >> see ya. >> okay. some more of this. nasty. still ahead at 8:00 8:00. sharing music's biggest stage. 6 artists tie. going to tell you who they are. holiday greetings from our service members overseas. >> hi. this is major john coller from cobble, afghanistan wishing my folks happy holidays and invite me to dinner next year. thanks. take care and enjoy. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso.

i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. of green giant vegetables it's easy to eat like a giant... ♪ and feel like a green giant. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant

i like that. the nominations for the 2013 grammy awards are in. 6 different are tied with 6

nominations each. >> and they include kanye west, jay z, frank ocean. also dan of the black keys. mumford and sons. and the pop band fun. >> i would say mumford and sons might get it. >> get what? >> the entertainer. >> we'll see. >> other bids include call me maybe. that is up for song of the year. >> the video of the rapper jay z having a chat on the subway with an unsuspecting woman has gone viral. the star opted to take the train to one of his shows in brooklyn. 67-year-old ellen saw all the commotion around him and how stressed he looked and went up and asked if he was famous. he looked relieved and the two struck up the conversation. she was aware of jay z and that he was from

brooklyn but didn't recognize him especially on the train. >> how cool is that. >> can i get a little normalcy? what he has done is simply amazing. >> it really is. he's one of the big names. not just in music. >> fashion. i mean not to mention his pretty famous wife. >> yeah. what's her name again again? all right. it's beyonce of course. next. many of us have older family members who need a little help. we're talking with the experts from aarp for ways to find that balance between giving them the assist anestheneed while helping them maintain independence. >> holly is live with this year's national christmas tree lighting. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the band is on stage. the stars are

coming out. and all gearing up for a rehearsal set to start moments from now. rehearse the concert that will go on tonight which is a prelude to the lighting of the national christmas tree. we're going to talk about the star studded show, who is going to be in it and how you can see it all next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. ♪

[ female announcer ] nature exists on the grandest scale...

♪ ...and in the tiniest details. ♪ and sometimes both. nature valley granola thins pack the big taste of granola and dark chocolate into one perfect square, under 100 calories. nature valley granola thins. nature at its most delicious.

. >> during the holidays you may see friends and family members you haven't visited with since last christmas. checkup on elderly loved ones to see if they need extra help. of course it can be a delicate road to maneuver and our next guest is here to help us make our way down the road. joining us is amy goyer. she is a family issues specialist at aarp. thanks for coming in today. >> thanks for having me. >> what a wonderful reminder to all of us. most of us go through this if you are blessed with degree of longevity someone might need extra help. let's

talk about the headline here. what is the message you are getting out? >> the holidays are a great time to observe and assess the situation with your family members. many times you haven't seen them. to grandmother's house to go. the holidays are a good time to see what's going on and maybe need more assistance or changes. >> as we mention, it can be so hard broaching this subject. you have proud folks who have done it themselves and now you are saying you might need a little help. but make sure we get to these different areas. you said going to grandma's house. if you get there and look around and doesn't look as neatly kept as it used to look, that might be a little hint that something is maybe a little not right. can you tell us more about what to look for? >> our home repairs being kept up. yard working done. things around the house that maybe are not good for safety.

is the lighting not as good? does a handrail need to be put in? the bathroom is a high risk area. maybe things that can help with safety. >> let's move on to driving. and this is another big one. you are dead on with this. 80 something year old, 90 something year old regardless of the age might not need to be driving any more. they have that valid driver's license. how do we know it might be time to take the keys away? >> the first thing to do is ride along with them. you want to observe. see are there dents and dings on the car. any dents and dings on the garage. are they having trouble at intersections? get some specific observations to share with them and then have a conversation and say i love you, i want to make sure that you are safe. how can we adjust this? maybe it's time to hang up the

keys. you have to have alternatives. >> let's move on to health. this one seems a little more obvious but maybe not really. are there small things we might miss? >> for one thing, nutrition is a big part of health. go in the fridge. is there food in the fridge? is there old food? look at medications. managing medications is a big thing. expired pill bottles around. maybe they need a pill organizer or a reminder system. are they keeping up with health issues in general? >> and this is the touchiest of them all. the finance issue. you're a great niece and don't want to appear to be nosing around to see if i'm going to get something at the end of life here. so i mean, we're just really making it plain here. how do you check on finances without appearing to be greedy or nosey?

>> the first thing to do is make sure when you arrive at the holidays, if there's a huge stack of mail that hasn't been opened, that's a clue maybe they are not keeping up with that paperwork. are there bills unpaid? are they not keeping up with that sort of thing. offering to help manage that stuff is a lot less intimidating than saying i want to know what's going on here. be very clear you just want to be supportive and help them remain as independent as possible. >> you touch on it with each one of these four bighead lines here. sounds to me like you need to have choices for the person. they still can make these decisions. is that the key here in these difficult subjects? >> exactly. you want to make sure you come in saying i love you, i want to support you. maybe changes are needed. how can i help you? here's some suggestions.

here are alternatives and options that i think might make a difference in your life and i can feel good about you and i can be there for you. >> including when it might be time to get some assisted living. same things apply here? >> sometimes a different housing situation is in order. 9 out of 10 people want to stay in their homes. so let's try and do that first. it may be that there's a different housing situation like assisted living, like a group home that might be more helpful. >> maybe somebody coming in. >> and there's home help you can get. and all sorts of great things. volunteers even. >> amy is a family issues specialist with aarp. thanks for being here today. >> more on our web site at aarp.org/caregiving. >> thank you. >> 90 years tradition. the annual event feature s host neil patrick harris along with a line up of top acts.

holly morris has more where organizers are getting ready for the ceremony and the all star show. you are one of our all stars holly. >> reporter: thank you very much. not sure i can compare to that. that's a fox star right there. phil phillips. he won american idol . he was rehearsing one of his numbers. the ceo of the national park foundation is back with me once again. and now we're really getting excited. the show is coming together. >> we're about to start our dress rehearsal at 9:00 a.m. going to be a terrific show. great line up. phillips is on stage right now. james taylor. baby face. i can go on and on. we have a lot of talent tonight and a wonderful show. >> i've been covering this for a lot of years and this is one of the better years. sometimes one or two big stars but this is a whole line up.

how do you go about getting people to be a part of the show? >> all of the performers are volunteers. they are not paid. the show is for all of america. and we extend invitation s where the performers are geographically. this year we had a wonderful response and actually, almost too many performers. >> that's a good problem to have. and also said something to come out here early in the morning to go through the rehearsal. any special requests from any of the stars and how they have to be taken care of? >> not so much how they have to be taken care of. they are all excited to perform for the first family. they are excited by being able to perform in front of the president. >> does the first family have any input? >> we always listen to the obama girls. >> very smart. if the obama

girls are happy, the parents are happy and we're all happy. this year it's the navy band and the different branches rotate. >> yes, they do. that's an essential feature . one of the military bands. and this year it is the navy band and they are terrific. wonderful compositions are playing. >> i want to know who gets these front row seats. >> well, first of all, the show is free and the tickets are distributed by a lottery. the 21,000 people are paying nothing to be here. got in through the ticket lottery. this is a show for washingtonians. and for those who didn't get into the lottery, they can watch the show at 4:30 tonight. >> for the people who do have the tickets, there's no specific seating? >> we have sections. so

depending where they were. there's sections but that's just to control the flow in here. a lot of people in here quickly and lock the site down for security reasons. >> i know the stars are coming and the band is on stage and the president and the first family is coming. the big question is is the big big guy coming. the one in the big red suit. >> the one in the big red suit is coming. he's an award winning santa claus. he's spectacular. >> before we go, let's take a listen in just for a second to phillip phillips. >> ♪

>> down here tonight we will have the lighting live on our news cast. fox 5 news at 6:00. and you can see the whole show like you said online. streaming it on the national parks service web site. full dress rehearsal starts at 9:00. see who we can bring you in next hour rehearsing live. back to you. >> i like that phil phillips. >> isn't he great? i'm really trying not to rush the stage. >> you have my permission. thanks holly. >> don't do it. it is 8:55 now. before you leave your house or get back home, check your pantry. you have things you won't use. but others can. >> coming up wisdom martin is showing us how locals are helping the hungry. and you can too. 

. >> this is fox 5 morning news. >> tick to come. the clock is winding down and the u.s. less than a month from maybe falling off that fiscal cliff. but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. the latest on the budget battle ahead. >> it's back to school today back to the usual routine. the discovery of a gun in the student's locker was anything but the norm. and police are still trying to figure out how it got there. >> your christmas tree likely isn't as large as the national christmas tree holly has been highlighting but even small trees need love and care. later this hour, derek is keeping us how to keep our trees alive through the holiday season. >> and looks like the streets are are going to the dogs. behind the wheel to give s